In recent years, the Courts have increasingly recognised that marital commitments, for example relating to the household or childcare, can affect a spouse’s ability to pursue their career.

A gap in a spouse’s career due to such commitments can have a significant impact upon their overall career trajectory and lifetime earnings, as they may not be able to achieve the level of career progression as they would have been able to. Returning to one’s previous career is not an easy task after a long absence from the labour market, as knowledge requirements and job processes change over time. This can result in them having to effectively re-start their careers or retraining in new area of work.